Found various [locked 🤬] threads about them, including @scotroutes threat to write a review about them some point. But didn’t find much pointers to specific ones….

So watcha got?
Watcha recommend?

Priority is the SOS signal, but would probably get the text option too if not too much more….

I got one of these:
https://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/

Just the basic beacon, no message or tracking options but small, no contract/renewal and 7 year battery life. I didn’t feel the need for anything other than the call the cavalry option and I really liked the long life and the fact that it can just live in the bottom of a rucksack/in the cupboard. Mainly for winter climbing/remote solo runs.

I think the key thing is to identify exactly what you need/want from it.

Thanks spin.
Was surprised when I clicked through how expensive that one is to buy.

But then, as you say, you save the connection fee and monthly subscription which is 140 quid a year.

Hmmmmm. Thinks

Garmin Inreach looks like a good bet.
Am I imagining it or was there a thread a while back with some hefty Garmin discount codes.

/Goes off to Google

Was surprised when I clicked through how expensive that one is to buy

A bit more to buy than the cheapest of the tracker type but a lot cheaper in the long run. I think I got it for about £240. I think you can get deals for subscriptions parts of the year for the tracker ones that bring the cost down but I carry it year round so that wouldn’t have worked for me.

What kind of activities are you planning to carry it on?

What kind of activities are you planning to carry it on?

Mountain bike rides is they key one. Don’t tend to do much climbing these days. I suppose I’d also take it skiing ( yes, I know, only pricks ski alone)

Tend to do a significant chunk of my longer rides on my own. Actually, I do ALL my longer rides on my own. So was wanting something that would give me a bit more chance if I had a debilitating but not fatal off somewhere like Ben Alder, Esk Valley or Glen Feshie

I’ve an Inreach, I spent soooo long reading up on them, it’s a ****. None really stood out, they all have pros and cons, I do like Garmin stuff tbh, that along with messaging the mrs that swung it really.

Good battery life, tbh I haven’t had to use it, thankfully, but seems pretty solid, easy enough to use, but I dont bother with the tracking thing as it’s a bit of a learning curve (for the person tracking you) and more expensive again.

Anything else, gimme a shout TG.

I have an OceanSignal PLB1 too. I hope I never need it. It is small with long battery life.

I bought it for sea kayaking which is a pretty hostile environment for a electronic gadget so I am happy to pay for something tough. I also think that for a safety critical piece of kit it is worth getting a dedicated PLB if you want to use it in situations where it needs to be 100% reliable

but I dont bother with the tracking thing as it’s a bit of a learning curve (for the person tracking you)

One reason I didn’t go with the tracking type was that a friend in MRT said that whilst climbing it would just look like you weren’t moving on the map for hours on end and that could be pretty freaky for anyone watching you!

I suppose I’d also take it skiing ( yes, I know, only pricks ski alone)

Ski touring? I haven’t ski toured much for a few years but I often went alone, I’d certainly take my beacon for that now but mainly in case of a fall or injury. I wouldn’t expect to be able to trigger it or for it to do any good if buried. I wouldn’t bother with it for piste, sidecountry or even resort based backcountry as phone signal tends to be pretty good in those areas and a phone call will usually be quicker and better.

I have the Ocean Signal device too, picked up for £200 from Sea Kayak Oban.

I bought it with falling into the sea in mind where the ability to send and receive messages wasn’t really high on the agenda and the device would be attached to a PFD. All I wanted was an “oh ****, hit the button time” device. Crossover use and additional features was all a bit secondary. Battery life is a claimed 7 years, which might actually be an issue if you forget to check and then find out it’s done.

Tbh, with MTB as a primary option I’d be much more tempted by InReach despite the additional costs.

Long term Spot Gen 3 user.

Living and regularly riding in the Cairngorms I can cycle to an area with no signal in less than 30 minutes. I regularly go out in the dark and winter too so it made sense not to rely on passers-by finding me. It also sets my wife’s mind at rest. On longer trips I also use it for the tracking function so she has some idea of my progress and I’ve occasionally shared the links with other folks.

Yes, the service plan isn’t cheap. They do seem to have stopped ratcheting up the cost though and I’ve found them open to a bit of negotiation. I’ve yet to fully explore the irregular user plans but that’s because they did a great offer for 2021.

I’ve looked at the Inreach – I’m a big Garmin fan – but have been put off for two reasons; I already have hardware and would have the initial cost to deal with (I’m not convinced I need the texting option either) and battery life. The Spot runs “forever” on a set of AAAs and, if required, you can throw in another set. The Inreach can’t use shop-bought batteries and I’ve read too many tales of charge running out (including Annie Le’s HT550 this year). That would just give me something more to worry about 😂

Aye, it was a toss up between the spot and the Inreach. I may end up changing yet!.

I reckon the Inreach would only suffer on battery life with tracking activated, which I don’t use as it’s the more expensive plan, 25 quid a month is a bit much, Mrs is a bit of a technophobe so wouldn’t use it anyway, and in reality she’d just worry if she saw me stopped (or moving slowly ascending steep stuff as Spin rightly points out).

I see it as another layer of protection, via the big red button.

Garmin Inreach Mini user here. Possibly an updated version coming soon but I’ve been totally happy with the one I own.

Never seen a battery problem but I tend to carry a portable USB charger when I’m by myself anyway, and at a pinch it can pull power from my torch or phone.

I was lucky enough to spend the last weekend on an outdoor first aid course – a golden opportunity to learn from people who dealt with stuff kicking off in the middle of nowhere. It gave me lots of chances to reflect on the idea of “your mate has collapsed several hours away from the car, there is no phone signal, what do you do?”

I regularly disappear into the back of beyond, with or without phone signal – and want to have some sort of mechanism for telling the Mrs where I’ve got to — similar for me when she disappears on her CX bike, making sure she’s not had a mechanical.

So — with reflection — Inreach or Spot….. what have you got, what would you do…

I have a McMurdo Fastfind PLB as a waterproof SOS device for sea kayaking, which I carry on all trips. Also a Garmin Inreach for reassurance of family, weather forecasts, messaging for unexpected situations and backup SOS if I’m going to be out of phone signal for more than a day or two. I don’t use it for tracking, just a daily “safe at camp” preset message and forecast check, that uses 3 to 4% of the battery per week. I think I pay £24/year for the basic Garmin sub, and £17/month if I activate it (usually one or two months per year).

I was lucky enough to spend the last weekend on an outdoor first aid course – a golden opportunity to learn from people who dealt with stuff kicking off in the middle of nowhere. It gave me lots of chances to reflect on the idea of “your mate has collapsed several hours away from the car, there is no phone signal, what do you do?”

I regularly disappear into the back of beyond, with or without phone signal – and want to have some sort of mechanism for telling the Mrs where I’ve got to — similar for me when she disappears on her CX bike, making sure she’s not had a mechanical.

So — with reflection — Inreach or Spot….. what have you got, what would you do…

I bought an “Ocean Signal Rescue Me” PLB last year after considering some salient points. I’m getting on for 60, I regularly ride on my own in places with no phone signal. If I were to have a mishap & was immobilised I’d have few options. Circumstances permitting I let my wife know where I’m headed. I’m in no way risk averse but I temper my riding/walking & scrambling trying to take a holistic view of the above. There’s a 7 year battery in this thing. Hopefully it expires before I do.

One thing of note. I registered my PLB online immediately after purchase with the UK Beacon Registry. 6 months later my registration still hasn’t been officially confirmed. I’ve called them & apparently there’s a backlog. In the event of an activation the beacon will still work.

As a matter of interest has anyone any experience of an activation as an end user or MRT ?

Former spot user now on an InReach Mini. I’m in Canada Rockies so it’s very easy for me to be outside mobile service.

I initially started with a Spot. Never used in anger. When the subscription cost crept close to cost of an InReach I switched. Of note when I phoned Spot to tell them I was cancelling they aggressively discounted…

I’ve been rescued once by MRT (dislocation of shoulder on Wapta icefields…). Team mate had an InReach and MRT said ability to have an actual (text) conversation with regard to casualty status is hugely helpful. They just sent a snow sled and 2 people. With a Spot they have to assume the worst and takes longer to mobilize. (May differ for UK teams).

For me coverage better with Iridium than Spot.

Any option way better than nothing though.

My missus and recently bought an inreach Mini and it’s getting it first use in anger today. Initially we bought it for use on holiday, We often go riding solo whilst the other one has the kids for the day. These can be pretty remote, this week we’re in the Spanish Pyrenees. Last year she had a mechanical here and she had to push her bike for 6 miles in plus 40c heat to get a phone signal to message me to rescue her. I like the fact you can message the degree of urgency with the in reach. We’ve set the preset messages as need help now, need help no rush and I’m Ok as a check in.

I also had an accident not that far from home last year where I was incapacitated luckily I had a signal and I know that if I’d been further down the track there was no phone signal. No reason not to carry it all the time as there are plenty of areas with zero mobile reception once you get out into the sticks just need to get into the habit of carrying it.

Long time Spot subscriber, but never needed the SOS function.

Currently out of subscription but I’ll likely do the monthly thing if I do renew.

I like the idea of InReach but there’s the high buy price to get over.

Battery life is the other concern. On multi-day trips, Spot is fine. InReach is more of a problem. Lots of folk on the HT550 have had issues with it. And Spot just uses AAAs so can be sorted at most small shops and filling stations.

I use an InReach Explorer+ which I bought used on Ebay and pay a £12 or so monthly subscription for. I’ve never had to press the SOS button, but it is incredibly useful for staying in touch with home when I’m away for a day or more somewhere I know there’s likely to be zero mobile signal – usually Kielder/borders/Scotland.

Not sure I’d get sign-off on these rides without it, to be honest. :o)

It also doubles as my navigation device too, so I can leave my phone switched off and in my bag. It lasts days (even with limited tracking turned on), and I normally carry a battery pack so there are no worries about running out of juice.

You also don’t need to leave tracking switched on: if someone has your Garmin URL they can ping the device to see its location, as long as the device is powered up. Any messages you send also include a URL so the recipient can see the device’s location that way. Unless there’s a real need for you to leave tracking switched on (this needs a more expensive subscription), people can locate you via these methods.

There are a couple of caveats though…

If you’re away from home, it’s a real pain in the asre to get any kind of maps or routes onto the device – you can only do it via a combination of the explore.garmin.com website and local device sync so you always need an internet connection to make this happen. It’s easy enough to do at home, so I make sure any routes I want to follow are on the device before I leave.

The screen is small and it’s also not a touchscreen – you operate it using actual buttons like an old school mobile phone… including sending messages. It is waterproof though, and you can use it with gloves on and while the screen’s covered in rain.

And while it’s absolutely usable as a simple handheld GPS device, it’s nowhere near as fully featured as most of Garmin’s other handheld devices or dedicated bike devices. So there’s no integration with trailforks, no turn by turn routing, no performance monitoring or ability to link HRMs or power meters, or anything like that.

Works for me though – as a way to make sure I know where I am, and to stay in touch with home.

I was going down the Spot route — but the idea of being able to have an actual interactive conversation whilst I am in the middle of nowhere with the significant others at home. I may not need an MRT, but could quite likely need a lift.

The Inreach Mini2 has a 2 week battery life which seems reasonable – I don’t go out for a cycle/motorbike ride for that long…

Cost is a bit of a bear – but I could offset it by not owning an iphone…

I have an Inreach Mini, chosen over a spot mainly because it can be used to message in a non emergency scenario if needed.

I go greenlining on the Enduro bike in Wales and quite often there is no phone coverage. So I always tell the people I ride with where it is and how to trigger an SOS.

Luckily not had to use it in anger.

I have a Garmin InReach – is a nice device. They have just updated the unit and it now about £100 more expensive – but it does have some better features (connects to 2 or 3 satellite networks – Galileo, etc).

I did a first aid + Forestry and the instructor does big day middle of nowhere adventure guiding – he recommended Spot and Garmin but did say Spot tends to phone a point of contact to confirm it i a genuine SOS, whereas Garmin call emergency services right away. That swung it for me as I’d prefer emergency services on the way if I have hit the SOS button.

Friend is a Spot user and is very happy with it, he does multi-day middle of nowhere riding.

I think the Spot monthly/yearly fee is smaller than Garmin – I suspect I’ve done myself out of a lot of cash as I’m on a monthly subscription with the Garmin – I’m out with a few groups of people and trailbuilding with no reception so reckon it is worthwhile – but in the 5 months of owning it, it hasn’t had to be used once, so for now, it seems to be an expensive device – but I’m sure if/when it is needed it’ll be worth every penny.

Fastfind 220 here which should be replaced (going by time had) but the battery check is still showing ok.

Got it for use kayaking/sailing and hiking and biking in remote locations.

A friend has the inreach for work and likes it, though obviously hers not paying for it or the fees.

following with interest.

I’ve been thinking that I really should get some kind of plb for use on the boat, even though I’m rarely out of mobile phone range, and I/it has VHF radios.

I can see that a two way communicator like a garmin in reach could be useful for knowing that someone is on the way to help, versus hoping that someone is on the way when you use a transmit only device like the fastfind etc.

Quite like the fact that with the in reach you dont have to pay a monthly fee if you’re not using it – means I could pay the fee during the summer months and then not bother during winter.

McMurdo Fastfind here. Neither I nor the Mrs would use the tracking – she believes no news is good news, and it’s light enough to just live in my rucksack.

There is sometimes a company on ebay selling ex-display models pretty cheap still with 5 or 6 years battery life. I think I paid £175 for mine with 5 years 9 months battery life.

We bought a Spot 3 2nd hand off Ebay for about £30 and just use the monthly subscription.

Never used one, but SPOT have a good setup with their own satellites and the cost is not horrendous.